Method of constructing foundations.



I J. 11.0130111132.. I'ETROD 0F GQNBTRUOTIIB FOUNDATION.

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mama sepg'l?, 1912 III.

J. F. OROURKE. METHOD 0F *GONSTRUGTING Po'UNDATIoNs.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 24, 1911.

Patented Sept. 17,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Lussfaa NTTE STATES JOHN F. "RO-,URKE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

, METHOD 0F CONSTRUTNG FGUNDATIQINS.

To all whom it may concern: l

I 3e it known that I, JOHN F. ORoURKE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of `Yew York city, boroughI of Manhattan, in'

the county ofNew' York and State'of New@ York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Cons'tructing Foundations, of which the following is a'e .speciiication In Letters Patent No. 932,717, issuedto me August 3l, 1969, I haveset forth means j for constructing 'foundations below the;` earths surface through earth o f soft. spongy or watery character, wherein a plugis 'fixe in the excavation and below the plug the excavation is continued to hard bottom, and foundation is built within the excavation from hard bottom upwardly and joins the' plug, the walls of the.V excavation beingshored 4as the work proceeds. Thismethod is satisfactory and efficient for cer afin kinds of earth, but'where the earth is exceedingly Y 'soft yand watery and the foundation mustbe 'carried therethrough ',to considerablej depth my lpresent invention is applicable. rlo this end I first produce a plug ata suitable depth in the earth, asby the formation of an excavation to a suitable depth, or by sinking an open or pneumatic caisson into the earth to the desired-depth, and filling said plug in the bottom of such excavation or caisson, or by sinking a working shaft into the'earthyto a suitable depth and forming a plug of concrete adjacent the bottom ot said shaft by making a chamber into the earth of suitable extent'adjacent ,the'botto-m 'of the shaft and iillingsuch chamber with concrete connected with the shaft-,Tor by constructing a pneumaticcaisson on the suri' ace of the earth in any usual manner, and sinking the same to such depth as may be desired, with a plug or shaft therein, or the plug and shaft may be inserted in said caisson after the latter is sunk; then below said plug the excavation is continued in the form-of a chamber to a suitable depth under air pressure, and upon the bottom of the chamber so formed concrete is filled from .the bottom up and joined to the plug above, an `openingbeing provided in such concrete vfilling, and then below such concrete filling lanother chamber may be dug, and the chamber filled With concrete and connected with .the filling aboye, and so ony downwardly in similar ste s, until the required bottom-'is- .reached, w ereupon concreter.i s,lleduponc e lowrmost chamber and the bottom. of t Specification of Letters Patent. Application led lOctober 24, 1911. Serial No. '656,4gl7.

Patented sept. 17, 19,12.

' rises in engagement with the last illiiig above 'thereby producing a solid foundation built 1n sections. Straps orhangers may be .inserted 1n the ground at the bottom of one or more chambers so as'to be embedded in the superposed fillings. ings 1n the 'fillings and plug' may be iilled with concrete, and spaces or crevices between the fillings and the plug chargedwithv grout, .and concrete' filled-upon the top of 'the plug to receive a pier, column, wall, or

the'like.

In the accompanying drawipgs I have d. illustrated the various steps forA reducing a foundation according to my invention, wherein,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the lirstportion `of the excavation; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the plug at the bottom of such excavation, and the air Finally the openshaft applied to the plug; Fig. 2a illustrates*- a .Working shaft sunk into the earth, anda l,

chamber .formed in the earth larger than and below the shaft to receive concrete; Flg.

2 illustrates a pneumatic caisson to be sunk into thesground; Fig. 3 is a View similar to low the plug ;l Figs. 4 and 5 are views similar to Fig. 8, illustrating further steps` in carrying the foundation downwardly; Fig.| 6 is a section on the line 6, '6, in Fig. 3'; Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate steps taken inthe completion of the Work, and Fig; 9 illustrates, in sec'- tion, a complete foundation;

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in,the several views'.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, a suitable exeavati'on 1 is dug into the ground or into soft,

spongy or watery earth 2 to a suitable depth, the walls of which excavation may Fig. 2, illustrating a chamber encavated be be protected by sheet steel or other piling l* 1f desired in, any well known manner, into which 'excavatlon a plug orl neumatlc caisson of 'concrete or other suitab e foundl@ tion material 2lfisiilled in thejmanner illus-'- trated in .Fig-2. Or I may sink an open' or pneumatic caisson 3 into theearth -to the desired depth, as illustra-ted in Fig. 2, and the plug 4 will ybe filled. into the bottom of the same. Or ,I'may sink a working shaft 5 to a suitable depth into the earth -and'form u 1 a 4suitable chamber a' in the earth beneath said shaft",-l the, same bein quired by shoring,v poling protected' if restructor apply a pneumatic caisson `iupon llt!4 ards or the like b, and filling the-plugz t inttlsa'id chamber to the surface of the earth in any usual mauner, and sink the same to such depth as may Abe desired with the plug 4 and shaftI 5 therein, or the plug and shaft may be in- 5 serted in said caisson after the latter is sunk. Straps or hangers 9 may be insertf ed in the bottom of t-h'e excavation with formed in .trench 7 and embeds .the upper ends of straps orl hangers 9. A working l-shaft'or section of such shaft?) may be embedded at its lower'end in suclrplug, and

- whenthe work is to be carried on'under pneumatic pressure said shaft may be provided with a suitable or .usual air lockv 5a, suitable air pipes being provided for supplying compressed air to the air shaft and tothe work to proceed below plug 4. Thereafter, below plug 4 a vchamber 6 (Fig. 3) is dug to asuit'able depth, vair' pressure in the chamber serving Ato hold back the sott,

` spongy or watery earth and water, or shoring may be applied at the walls of the cham- .'30 ber if required, and at the margin of the bottom of, such chamber is dug a trench 7 a, and a suitable number of straps or hangers 9 mayv be' inserted in the earth at the bottom of chamber '6, asbefore explained. Poling boards 8 may be Aapplied at the trenches if required. The chamber Gl is next filled from the bottom upwardly with concrete 10,

which enters trench 7a, and binds the upper l ends of said strapsy orvhangers 9, a vertical 4 0 opening 10a being provided in the concrete filling 10 and in communication with the lopening 4L in plugl 4 (Fig 4). The filling 10 is carried up substantially into contact with the bottom of plug 4 and in engagement with the straps or hangers depending therefrom, although crevices or spa-ces 12 may necessarily be formed between the top of filling 10 and thevbottom of plug 4, to be filled with grout or the like as hereinafter explained. The poling boards, 8 may be removed orvcut away .within the chamber as indicated in Fig. 7 Another chamber 11 of suitable depth, is excavated below plug 10 (Fig. 4), and at the margin of the bottom of' chamber 11 is du-gatrench 7b, and a suitable knumber of straps or hangers 9 may y be inserted inthe earthv at the bottom of chamber' 11 `in manner before described, so

' that the upper ends of" the straps or hangers Will' be exposed within the chamber.- The Walls and bottom of chamber 11 may be protected by shoring or poling boards or flooring if desired. Chamber 11 is next Afilled from the bottom upwardly with concrete j 15, and binds' the upper ends ofsaid straps .at alltimes. The several chambers may be or hangers 9` at thebottom of they chamber,

.an opening 1Ia being provided in the conp v suspended thereby from filling 10. A chamber 16 maythen be excavated below filling 15 (F'g. 5), and the walls of the chamber may, if desired, be protected by boards or 50 the like .163, arid when hard bottom 17 is reached concrete 18 will be filled in chamber 16 fromsuch bottom upwardly (Fig. 7

into. engagement with filling 15 and hangers 9 depending therefrom, but if hard bot-tom 85 be not struck when the chamber 16 is dug to the rdesired depth, then the chamber will be filledwith'eonerete as before described, and so on, chamber after chamber being made .and filled, 4and the several Afillings united 90 together until a required or hard bottom is reached, when the lowermost filling will restthereon as described. The concrete `in the trenches 7 7a, 7 b aids in retaining compressed air in the 'chambers' below as the 95 work therein progresses. After the illings have all hardened grout 20 'will be poured through the central openings to ll the crevice or space 12b and bind fillings 18. and

15 together, and then concrete 'l'will be 1C filled in opening 15a, and grout 22 will be r 1n into crevice or space 12a to bind fillings and 10; concrete 23 will next be filled in opening 10a, and grout 24 will be iilled upon concrete 23 t-o fill space 12 and bind filling 10 to plug 4, see Fig. 9. Air shaft having now been removed,concrete 25 will be filled into opening 4a, of plug 4, and upon the latter concrete or lfoundation material Q6 may be placed, upon which a pier, column or the like may be set or embedded.

By means of my invention, it will be understood that the work may be carried on to any required depth, until the required bottom is reached, .because the chambers below the fillings may be made each to any required depth according to the nature of the earth being excavated and the air p1 essure that may be maintained inthe excavation excavated merely. to such depth as is prac- Vtical to hold back their walls under air pressure with or without requiring -shoring because as fast as each chamber is filled with concrete the latter lreplaces the excavated material, thus preventing the earth around the filling from caving into the chamber beneath.. The building'of foundationsin accordance with Vmy invention vmay thus be Carriedv on,.expeditiously, economically, and 13o;

;earthw'all, and" foundations orwalls may be installed under;'existinglstructures where the usual method would" be impracticable.

Utions vmneisting` `2oca-vation ilu l caisson in such position, producing a ch-am-` iiugshaft'in {tions consisting iii VVinserting -Y avation Linthe earth -vcaisson in vsuch 'with foundationv material into Contact tions consisting' ininstallingl a pneumatic caisson in an excavatiouinthe earth, continuing the excavation inv the'form of' a .chamber '.,belowfsiich' caisson,"flliiig such chamber-with foundation material, continuingthe excavation .in the form o fa chamber below' such lling, and" filling' such'chamberwith Vfoundation material.

' .'-lhd`v. method f 'constructing fouhda` in 'inserting -a pneumatic. caisson containin aworking-shafit in'an-'exhe 2e th and maintaining [said 'ber in the earth beneath such'caisson tlirough said working shaft, andf'illing said cham'- .ber 'with` foundation;V material into contactl wlith the filling above and forming a workthe'second named filling. 3.*The .method of constructing .founda- 'a pneumatic caisson containing alworking shaft in an .exff and maintaining: said osition, producing-a .cham-` ber in theearth eneath such caisson thrclugh said-f working shaft, :rfi/lling' said chamber `withfoundation material into contact with the filling-above and forming.4 .a working shaft fthe secondnamed flling, excavating another". chamber lbelow the second named {illing,'.and filling the last named :chamber with foundation material.' i.

4:."The method of constructing'- founda- ,tions consisting inserting 'a pi'ieumatic `caisson Icontaining aworking Ishaft in an 'excavation'in the .earth and maintaining said 4cs'iissoln in such position, producing a chainber in the earth beneath such caisson'through said-working shaft, filling s'uch chambery with 'the filling' above and forming a working shaft in the second Vnamed filling, excavating another chamber below the second named filling, filling the last named chamber with foundation material, binding the meeting faces of said fillings, and charging" said working shafts with foundation material.

5. The method fl constructing foundations consisting in )roducing in an encara.- tion a permanently fixedcaisson having an opening therethrough, continuing the excayvation in the form of a chamber below the caisson, filling such chamber with foundation material and forming in suoli material anopenin'g through the same communicating the excavation4 in ,the form o'f a c amber below4 such filling, and filling such chamber: .with foundation material, ,l

- ing wiith'the opening 'in `the caisson, centinul(i. The method of constructing' foiinda-'.

'tions consisting in producing in an excamtion, apermanently fixed caisson having ani v'opening` therethrough, continuing thefexcavation in theform vofv a 'chailnber below the caisson, filling such chamber with foundation niaterial'and forming in such-material an opening through 'the ,same conimunicati 'ing-with the openin'g in the caisson, continu- 'ing the excavationlin the forni of a chamber belo'iw'such filling, filling suoli chamber with foundation` matbrial,and filling'said open.-

with foundation material.'

ings The method of constructing 'foundations consisting lin installing a, pneu-maticv 'caisson in an.excavation vin lthe earth, continuing Ithe :excavation inthe form of chan'ier-lielow the caisson, inserting a s'tr ap.or hanger in .the bottomY f the cl'iamber with the ripper end of the strap or hanger pro! j'ecting into the'chamber, filling such cham` ber with .foundatidn material and embed- 'dii-ig the upper lend' of the strap or.' hanger inl such filling, 'continuing the excavation in the form of a ychamber below Ithe filling, "and filling such vliarnbe'r with 'foundation inaand in contact withI the-last namedfi'lling.

8, The method of constructing founda tions consisting in making 'an' excavation for 1a working shaft, locatingthe shaft in said excavation, producing a chamber below said shaft.fill ing saidv chamber with foundation material and' `pi"ovidin, anIv opening therein communicating with the working shaft, prof ducing a chamber below saifd material, and

filling said chamber with foundation material 9. 'The' method of coi'istructing foundations 'consisting in making an excavation for a working 'shaft, locating the shaft in said excavation, producing a chamber below said shaft, llling saidchaniber with foundation material and providing an opening therein communicating with the working' shaft, producing a chamber below said material., filling' said chamber with foundation material land producing an opening therein communi-V -ioo catingwith the opening in the filling above,

producing a chamber below the second named iilli1ig`,and. filling the third named chamber with foundation material.

Signed New York, lvandState of New York, this 21st `day'of October A. D. 1911.

JOHN F. OROURKE'.

itnessesi RALPH H. RAPHAEL, T. F. BOURNE.

at New. York city, in 'the county .f 120 

